


Oh Captain, My Captain

by alisha_winchester_collins



Category: Peter Pan (2003)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Injured Hook, Mild Hurt/Comfort, alternate endings, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-10 22:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16463639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alisha_winchester_collins/pseuds/alisha_winchester_collins
Summary: Prompt request: when Captain Hook is badly injured, it's up to his healer to save his life, secrets are revealed and revelations come to light - gender neutral reader





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rebeldaydreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebeldaydreams/gifts).



> A second alternate and fluffier ending is posted in chapter 2!

_Stubborn. Reckless. Completely irresponsible._ And a whole slew of other words were running through your mind as you stood on the deck of the Jolly Roger, waiting and silently fuming about the situation that the entire crew had found themselves in. You’d never dare to voice your thoughts out loud, not while you were surrounded by pirates day and night; but that certainly wasn’t going to stop you from giving your captain a piece of your mind when he returned - _if_ \- no, thinking like that wasn’t going to help. After all, if it wasn’t for him…

Before you could complete that thought, your reminiscence on the past was suddenly disrupted by loud shouts and yells from the other crew members. Turning your gaze away from the horizon where you had been wistfully staring while waiting for news, you slipped back into your role. As part of this crew you were the second person on board the Jolly Roger who was irreplaceable, the first being your captain himself; but from the sounds of all the ruckus emerging from below-deck it seemed as if things were much more dire than you could have imagined. And while you hastened towards the captain’s quarters, a million things running through your mind, there was only a heartbeat of a moment that you allowed yourself to feel that pang in your chest before shaking off any emotions - you had work to do and you’d be damned to hell if you were about to let feelings get in the way of possibly having to save the captain’s life.

“Oi, watch where yer goin’!” One of the burlier pirates, Keyes ‘Two-Teeth’ Smyth grabbed you by the shoulders, effectively stopping you in your tracks. “Nurse or no nurse, I oughtta…” He started to snarl but you cut him off abruptly.

“The term is ‘healer’ Two-Teeth and if you don’t get out of my way, I’ll be happy to let the others know it was thanks to you that our Captain didn’t make it through the night if you delay me a second longer.” You may have been a part of the crew for months now but getting around to pirate-speak wasn’t as easy all the time.

“I don’t think it’s that bad.” Mr. Smee’s voice floated out from the door which was open; he walked past the crowd of angry pirates who were itching for a fight, the curses and swears having died down in these several minutes.

“What exactly happened Mr. Smee?” Your attention was wholly focused on the older man in front of you, everyone had been screaming all sorts of things about the captain being fatally wounded and no two stories were the same, if he was dying you needed to know how.

In answer, the other pirate removed his cap and twirled it around in his hands, a sign of nervousness he never let show unless circumstances called for it. That alone was reason enough for your breath to get caught in your throat.

“Ah. Well, y’see… simply put… the cap’n found himself at odds against that… that trickster of a boy! And there may have been a crocodile involved.” His eyes flared in anger at the mention of Peter Pan.

There was no time for you to waste however; you had heard all you needed to and having a crowd of agitated pirates was going to be of no help to the captain. Mr. Smee and Two-Teeth would see to it that they rounded up the rest of the crew and dealt with whatever they wanted to do, your duty was to your captain and so grabbing the kit you always kept on hand at all times - never tucked away under your bunk - you headed inside the cabin and closed it behind you.

“Gods above.” The words were nothing more than a whisper and for that you were thankful, no one was around to hear your exclamation of surprise when you finally laid eyes on your injured patient. The anger you might have felt earlier while waiting for his return dissipated almost instantly.

Captain James Hook, notorious pirate across the seven seas, whose very name chilled the hearts of everyone around, archenemy of Peter Pan and… your savior… lay upon his bed in a state you had never seen him in before. From afar the wounds he had sustained certainly seemed life-threatening, there were gashes across his chest and a barely held together dirty linen shirt pressed to one side of his abdomen which needed to be burned at the earliest convenience, blood was pouring on the floor from the injuries he had sustained on his left leg and ankle as well; fortunately he was unconscious at the moment, there was also a deep cut across his right eye and his hook was missing as well, but seeing the rise and fall of his chest was all you needed to see before getting to work. He was alive. And you were going to make sure he stayed that way. Not solely for the purpose that he was the captain or that you owed your life to him, but there was no time for those kind of thoughts.

This was what you had trained for over the better part of a decade now, starting to work with your father, a respectable man and well-known doctor, during a time when it was very much needed - and the very same reason why Hook had hired you as part of his crew; after all, seeing as how he or the others had a crocodile to deal with every now and then, it helped that you kept a supply of anti-venom on hand. One of the first things you had learned to concoct once you’d managed to find your way around Neverland’s forests.

“Right, let’s get to work.” Muttering to yourself and rolling up the sleeves of your shirt, you opened the kit and set about to cleaning and disinfecting the chest wounds as quickly as you were able to.

There was no way of knowing how long this would take, the crew knew better than to disturb the only person who had a trifle more experience in saving lives than taking them, but at some point in between you soaking the needles in hot water and stitching up the cuts, someone - Mr. Smee perhaps or Julian the young deckhand who was your unofficial apprentice in training - had entered with food and left without saying a word. Food was a luxury you had no time for just then; the worst of the injuries had been dealt with but Hook had lost a lot of blood and there was no telling what lay ahead in the hours that passed… this was after all, Neverland and not your hometown where the access to medical supplies was much more than simply having the right plants and herbs at your disposal.

The sun had long since set and the crescent moon fully risen in the sky when you finally made your way to the washbasin, rubbing away the grime and mud that had covered the Captain’s clothes and letting the blood drip down from your hands and into the water where they soon disappeared as if you hadn’t spent the better part of a day covered in it. He was stable now; but judging from the paleness in his skin, you knew that the captain was at the risk of an infection which would only make things worse and the high fever he was currently experiencing needed to break by dawn’s first light… only then would you be able to breathe properly again. Still, now that your work was done… you took a minute to stare at the man who remained fast asleep, completely unaware of what you had done for him.

_A handsome countenance._ That had been the first words in your mind when you encountered Hook all those long months ago, running through the gardens of your estate hand in hand, as he sought to save not just your life but his as well - things are never quite as easy as they seem to be when it comes to a rescue mission gone wrong when there are guard dogs involved. And even then, amidst the chaos and confusion over your escape… led by the daring pirate captain no less… you still had managed to take him in; the piercing ‘forget-me-not’ blue eyes, those long dark curls of his hair unruffled as he ran with you, that gleaming silver hook on his right hand which should have been terrifying but had proven to be the only weapon he truly needed, his entire black ensemble of clothes… he was utterly captivating even in the face of danger. And though his reputation preceded him wherever he went, for whatever reason you hadn’t been able to pinpoint accurately in the time since then, he had saved your life. And now here he was, lingering at the threshold between life and death itself; but not if you had something to say about that.

“You’re not dying on me today, Captain.” Resolving yourself to stay there and keep watch all night long, you pulled up a chair from his desk, a hand going to your neck as you wrung out the cricks that came with working for so many hours and settled down to a quiet meal.

Mr. Smee came and went as the night went on, Julian as well, but neither of them stayed for long, just to help with cleaning up the room; there was plenty more to be done… the crew it seemed was hell-bent on going after the crocodile itself, they knew it would be far more foolish to try and set their sights on Pan, though he was just a boy, you had seen firsthand what he was capable of - cunning and witty - Two-Teeth and the others were probably in less danger dealing with the reptile first. Yet you stayed where you were, keeping vigil by the Captain’s bedside.

It was a little before dawn, the time when everything had finally fallen silent, not just on the ship itself but the world outside; when it was as if the world was still, you had unknowingly closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep, did the captain finally begin to stir. Hook, for the most part was still in a groggy way as he slowly awakened to the sight in front of him. There you were, legs resting on the edge of his bed, your head dipped down onto your chin, arms crossed over your chest, sleeping as if you hadn’t slept at all in days… and it was only when he tried to move did the sharp stinging of pain… all over his body… remind him exactly what had happened. Hissing quietly so as to not wake you, Hook sat up as carefully as he could, mindful of the bandages covering his torso and winced when he sensed the dull throb in his right arm, the stump of which seemed to be covered in a sweetly smelling sap.

“Fuck…” He couldn’t help but groan inwardly when he remembered the duel from the previous… morning? How long had he been unconscious for exactly?

Dealing with the boy and then getting half mauled to death by that ridiculous creature… he remembered Smee and Slick finding him, with One-Eyed Ragnor leading the crew sent out after him… but you? He didn’t remember seeing you before losing consciousness, probably due to the fact that you had stayed with the ship per his orders, he hadn’t wanted his only Healer getting caught up in the fight. His healer. It sounded so… intimate when he thought of it that way… of you… the person he had risked his life for that fateful night when your paths had crossed with each other; his reasons were his own and though you had asked him, just once, all he could tell you was that one day he would explain himself and that was that.

*crackle* *crackle* *crackle*

The noise - as well as the smell of burning smoke - drew Hook’s attention away from your sleeping form on the chair. In one corner of the room, you had set a fire to burn in an old drum Mr. Smee had dragged up from the kitchens, throwing all of the blood soaked bandages and cloths inside. By now, almost at the hour of morning, it was flickering out and in that moment, Hook decided there was no time to waste. Getting up from the bed however, proved to be a challenge.

“What do you think you’re doing?” You had woken up the second you’d felt the bed shifting underneath your feet but instead of jumping up at the fact that Hook was awake at last, you calmed yourself and watched as he was attempting to stand. And walk.

“Ah. Y/N, you’re awake.” Hook glanced in your direction, he had swung his feet off the bed and onto the floor but the pain in his chest made it hard to breathe easily. “These damn bandages are cutting off my oxygen supply.” He complained.

“Those bandages are the only thing keeping you from bleeding out.” Of course he was back to his old self, trying to get back to being Captain and ordering everyone about, having no regard of almost dying less than a day ago.

“Yes well, I have plans to make, revenge to seek out, a crocodile to kill… and after that I’ll deal with Pan.” He gritted his teeth and finally managed to stand on his two feet, barely taking a few steps towards his cupboard before swaying and almost falling face forward on the floor.

Luckily for him, you had anticipated that he was about to do something entirely foolish and crossed the room in three quick strides, reaching one hand out to grab him by the shoulder just in time. That however, caused Hook to instinctively wrap his only hand around your waist. It would have been a moment that could be considered a _moment_ between the two of you, if only you hadn’t felt the slight dampness from where your other hand had stilled, against his abdomen which you had stitched up.

“Sit. Down. _Captain._ ” You tried not to sound too annoyed, this was after all not entirely unexpected from Hook, but he had been awake for barely a quarter of an hour and opened his stitches already.

“Y/N…” He started to say and then caught your eye before sitting back down on the bed carefully. There were very few people who could effectively render James Hook silent and whether or not you knew that you were one of them, Hook decided not to argue… for now.

“Good. Now just, take a deep breath. This is going to hurt.” Grabbing the needle and thread from where you’d left it amongst your supplies, you started the process again.

And though he was no stranger to pain given all that he had been through so far, the initial stab of needle on skin involuntarily cause him to grab onto your waist once more. It wasn’t a pleasant experience and though the two of you were very well aware of this, he didn’t move his hand until you had finished neither did you object to it. Instead, he took the time to observe you, from up close, while you worked. He knew you well enough by now to pick up on the tell-tale signs when you were irritated. Whether it was the furrowed brow when you were deep in thought or concentrating on something while surrounded by noisy rowdy pirates or the occasional biting of your lower lip when you were frustrated, in spite of everything, in spite of himself, he had not only noticed everything… he had remembered it all.

“You’re staring.” You said to him softly, having caught on to his tactic a while back.

Somehow, your words seemed to have the opposite intended effect on Hook; it was as if he knew something that you didn’t… which was probably true… but judging from the look in his eyes, you wondered if there was more to it than you thought. What exactly was he thinking about? What had he suddenly remembered?

“Are you quite done here? As I told you, I have plenty to do. I can’t be sitting around in bed like an invalid all day long.” His tone changed, becoming much more formal than it had been.

The whiplash of Hook’s demeanor was enough to catch you off-guard but there was no way that you were going to let his rebuke get to you. Too much time had passed, Mr. Smee or someone else would surely be awake and on their way to check up on the Captain. You needed to return to your bunk. After all, you had done what you needed to do - and more. It wasn’t as if you were expecting a thank you in return. Pirates weren’t exactly known for their manners, even a captain seemed to be of the same thinking.  

“Of course, I’ll leave you to it then Captain.” You could be just as unfeeling as he was, if that’s what he wanted.

Without looking back, you gathered your things and left the cabin far more quickly than you had thought possible; there was no point in lingering there. You were simply another crew member, a fellow pirate, nothing else.

If you had paused at the doorway to the cabin, and maybe dared to turn around, to look back and see the Captain who stayed where he was, seated on his bed or even walked back to kneel on the floor and take his hands in yours, after you would have seen the pain in his eyes… not because of his injuries… but from something else… something much more deeper than physical pain… maybe, just maybe you would have learned the truth.

It was only well after midday, after making sure that he wasn’t to be disturbed by anyone, Healer or otherwise, that Hook managed to find the strength to walk the length of his room to the desk where all of the important papers and documents lay. He brushed aside all things and set about searching through his ledgers, until finding the one he was looking for. Hidden within the pages of it was a letter with a broken seal that had been read and re-read countless times since the first time it had been delivered to Hook. He’d picked it up on his last trip when the ship had docked at town and even though he followed through the instructions and held up his end of the bargain, when the time had come to do what needed to be done…

“Where’s the damn thing?” He muttered angrily, opening his drawers with a rage unlike ever before, slamming his fist when nothing turned up. Until his gaze fell on the ornate but rather hideous looking candlestick holder and saw what he was looking for there.

Picking up the lighter, he didn’t even bother to remove the letter from inside the envelope; he had memorized the words a long time ago. And now here he was, like a coward, burning away the last piece of evidence that could tie him to his actions. Though you had questioned him but once, Hook knew that there was always the chance that one day you would discover the truth - that you would learn of his deceit and lies, that he had _not_ rescued you from imminent danger but rather kidnapped you away in exchange for gold, and though you remained a part of his crew, you could never return to your home for as long as you lived; because he hadn't traded you away for reasons he couldn’t fathom… or if he could… he didn’t dare to admit it even to himself. Because while he was indeed Captain James Hook, wicked and evil, a blaggard of a pirate, he was also very much also a man and afraid… afraid that if you learned everything about him, he would lose the one person in his life that he didn’t hate. Quite the opposite in fact.

 


	2. Alternate Ending

“You’re staring.” You said to him softly, having caught on to his tactic a while back.

Somehow, your words seemed to have the opposite intended effect on Hook; it was as if he knew something that you didn’t… which was probably true… but judging from the look in his eyes, you wondered if there was more to it than you thought. What exactly was he thinking about? What had he suddenly remembered? 

“Do you remember the night we met Y/N?” He asked, meeting your eyes now that he knew he had been found out.

“Yes, of course. You saved my life and recruited me to your crew. I’m indebted to you for that.” That was as much of the truth as you could allow yourself to admit to. Not more… not today… 

“I think you saving me in turn has balanced that debt don’t you think?” Here and now, just long enough, Hook felt that he could be more a man than Captain, having you around. “Thank you.” He said with an all too familiar smirk, knowing he hadn’t said anything until now.

“Just doing my job captain.” You answered in reply, by now you’d stepped away and returned to the desk where your belongings were kept, packing everything up. 

Too much time had passed, Mr. Smee or someone else would surely be awake and on their way to check up on the Captain. You needed to return to your bunk. After all, you had done what you needed to do - and more. He was safe now, very much alive and on his way to healing slowly but surely, within a fortnight he’d be back to his old self. 

“I should have told you. That night. After we’d made it back to the ship; when you asked why I had chosen to do what I did.” 

“Captain…” 

“No, let me speak. Please.” 

Stunned by the tone of his voice, a sincerity and a… softness… you said nothing else but simply nodded, letting him continue with his tale. Whatever had led to him arriving that day at your town, finding you, rescuing you and eventually bringing you into his crew, there was more to the story than you knew. And perhaps now it was the right time to reveal the exact circumstances that had led to it. 

“There’s a letter on my desk, inside the red ledger, find it for me would you?” He said, giving an order but making it sound more like a request. 

“Do try not to fall over again Captain.” You could see him gingerly walking towards his cupboard, presumably to throw on a jacket; the room did have a chill to it this early in the morning. 

“What’s that famous saying?” Turning to look at you, Hook smiled for a second before continuing, “No rest for the wicked. I’m still alive, thanks to you, which means it’s time to get back to it.” Seeing the frown on your face though he sighed and decided to concede. A little. “Fine, read the letter Y/N and I’ll see myself into bed.” 

That he trusted you enough to go through his papers, surely all of them were important and not meant for anyone else to see, took you by surprise; but you did what you were told to, an order was an order. Within minutes you had unearthed the ledger in question, buried under maps and charts and other parchments you didn’t bother to notice. Inside was a letter as he’d mentioned and when you noticed the broken seal on the back of the envelope, you realized that whatever was going on, it certainly wasn’t what you had thought it was. And after reading through what was written… you found yourself… at a loss for words. 

“I don’t… I don’t understand Captain. What is the meaning of this?” He had waited patiently - a trait you had discovered existed in the man from the very beginning - for you to process the letter and its contents, giving you time to come to terms with it.

“Exactly what it says Y/N.” Hook knew that for the better part of a year almost now, he had withheld the truth from you, but perhaps this brush with death had changed his thoughts on the matter, or he simply chose not to let the lies drag out any further. “I was hired… to kidnap you.” 

“Why?” There were a hundred more questions rattling around in your mind, but this, whatever… it couldn’t be real… you were… bewildered at this revelation. None of this made any sense. He had gotten you out of danger and… and now he was saying… it was all a lie?

“I’m a pirate, that’s what we do, go where the gold takes us.” You knew exactly what kind of a man Hook was, but his words still made you flinch, though you had no inkling of how he was feeling in that moment, hating to see the pain so visible on your face.

“Then why… why keep me here… like this… I’m your prisoner.” 

A darkness clouded his eyes at that and maybe you would have thought twice before making such a bold statement, but not now, not after everything that you had held onto this entire time was based on false claims and half-truths. 

“You're not my prisoner. You never were. That was not… I didn’t -” Hook sighed and rubbed his temple, trying how to explain himself. “Yes, I was meant to ransom you off for gold, it’s complicated… the letter has all of the details… but, when the time came, I… I did not go through with the exchange. With no one the wiser it was simply easier to let everyone think you didn’t survive that night while smuggling you on board the Jolly Roger.”

“So… you did kidnap me, but then you changed your mind and instead hired me to be a part of your crew, all the while letting me believe that there was danger back home.” You were still trying to wrap your head around all of this… he had lied to you… and it hurt. 

“You know there is a threat to you, if you were ever to return… ” He let the implication hang in the air between you.

If you were being completely honest with yourself, now that some time had passed and you were beginning to understand that the real reason you were upset wasn’t because of the man in front of you; neither was your anger and ire directed toward him - yes he had lied but he  _ was _ a pirate after all, and you knew exactly the kind of a man James Hook was. Everything he had done, he had done to keep you safe… but there was one thing you still didn’t understand.

“Why did you not go through with it?” And there it was, the question Hook had been anticipating and perhaps even dreading to hear you ask.

In answer to your query, he chose not to reply, rather stood up from the bed and walked over to where you stood. And when he took your hands in his, there was a look in his eyes that maybe… just maybe you recognized. There were some things that didn’t need to be said.


End file.
